The Athletes Podcast

Phoenix Gibb-Wayland - Building Your Brand - Episode #210

January 18, 2024 David Stark Season 1 Episode 210
The Athletes Podcast
Phoenix Gibb-Wayland - Building Your Brand - Episode #210
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Join David Stark for episode #210, featuring Phoenix Gibb-Wayland, with the charm and wisdom only she can bring,  A former varsity dual sport athlete, who's now making waves as a social media marketer and Dave's partner in crime. Together, they delve into the seismic shift in the world of athlete branding and the power of a strong online presence. They reminisce about her journey from the course to the digital realm and how the podcast's growth has mirrored her own transformation. Phoenix sheds light on the opportunities that have emerged with the groundbreaking name, image, and likeness legislation, offering a treasure trove of insights for athletes looking to brand themselves in this new era.

Imagine a world where the once-rigid NCAA rules are now a distant memory, and athletes can freely monetize their digital footprint—welcome to today's reality. Drawing from her own past as a collegiate athlete and entrepreneur, we unveil some practical strategies for creating a genuine social media persona that can attract sponsorships and engage fans. We underscore the importance of storytelling and illustrate how a diverse array of athletes can harness these new opportunities, demolishing the barriers that once limited their financial and personal brand growth.

We wrap up with a heart-to-heart on the delicate balance between mental health and social media engagement, emphasizing the significance of setting boundaries. As we gear up for February Fitness , we brainstorm ways to cultivate a supportive community committed to health and wellness. Our conversation builds excitement for what’s to come, inviting listeners to join us in creating an inclusive space that encourages long-term successful fitness habits, where support and motivation are in abundant supply.
Want to see more of the AP?
Subscribe to the AP YouTube channel.
---
Check out Phoenix's stuff:
Instagram
Tiktok
---
Check out Dave's stuff:
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
---
Produced by Rise Virtually
***
Other episodes you might enjoy:
World Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper,  Taylor Learmont (Little "T" Fitness), Bruce Boudreau (Vancouver Canucks), Rhonda Rajsich (Most Decorated US Racquetball player)

Check out our Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Tiktok | Spotify | Apple | Google | Youtube

Speaker 1:

Because you have to listen to every single one. No one out there has ever listened to my voice more than Phoenix. You're the most decorated racquetball player in US history, world's strongest man, from childhood passion to professional athlete, eight-time Ironman champion. So what was it like making your debut in the NHL? What is your biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes, from underdogs to national champions? This is the Athletes Podcast, where high performance individuals share their triumphs, defeats and life lessons.

Speaker 1:

To educate, entertain and inspire the next generation of athletes. Here we go. What's it been a year? What? Since you took over producing Over no year and a half now. Year and a half probably now Still one of our most downloaded episodes ever.

Speaker 2:

That's just because I have a very large family. Shout out to you guys Keeping my episode 23 in top 10.

Speaker 1:

What are your goals for this episode?

Speaker 2:

Avoid saying like yeah, maybe set it a few too many times. I had never been on anything, though.

Speaker 1:

You crushed it. It was good. Thank you. That was our first conversation after I asked you for pancakes at the bar. Waffles that too, either way. 210th episode of the Athletes Podcast. Thank you folks for joining. We even have Rose in attendance here. Rose, come say hi to everyone. There she is, smile. 210th episode of the Athletes Podcast. As long as we give Rose some love, and hopefully you folks learn a thing or two during this episode, we put out these episodes every week on Thursday. I can't thank you folks enough for tuning in, whether it's morning, afternoon, evening. This is the Athletes Podcast. We talk with high performers, athletes, coaches, nutritionists, everyone in the fitness, health and wellness space. This is only the second time ever we've had a repeat guest. That's because she's a special gal. Not only is she the producer of the Athletes Podcast, she's also the gal I get to call my girlfriend. There you go. Yeah, she's so just she knows this ain't her first rodeo either. She just wants to be on camera. Star of the show.

Speaker 2:

The whole fam.

Speaker 1:

Star of the show. This is Rose.

Speaker 2:

Rose has always been the star of the show, so nothing's new here.

Speaker 1:

We should mention, as we start this episode, a little cheers to Athletes Path Gary T, keeping us hydrated, filled with antioxidants.

Speaker 2:

Hydrate better, recover faster.

Speaker 1:

So good. If you haven't listened to episode 23, I highly recommend you go listen to that first. Just to give context. We're not necessarily going to speak directly about Phoenix's athletic background during this episode. We also want to cover what we've done for the past year and a half. We've been doing a broad interview hundreds of athletes since you joined the team, really taking the podcast to the next level between your editing, your creative mind. Phoenix is a social media marketer, the co-founder of Rise, Virtually, as well as the producer of the Athletes Podcast, Someone who we're welcoming to the show for the second time. Phoenix, thanks for coming on.

Speaker 1:

Of course, I'm excited to be back In front of the camera, this time In front of the camera, where most say you belong and most try and suggest for me to get behind the camera. But we keep showing up here and we keep doing this thing.

Speaker 2:

I like behind the scenes, so I'm good with that.

Speaker 1:

You do a good job. You are phenomenal at what you do. There's a reason why you have a plethora of clients under your portfolio. Note under a year over the works now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I've been doing this for about a year, since starting Rise, virtually back in January, after figuring out what direction I want to take it. I have passion for marketing and I also have a passion for sports and athletics. Today, I want to talk about athletes growing their online brand, their personal brand, because it's such a big industry now for athletes to be able to work with different companies, work with different sponsorships and not only make money, but to be able to grow their persona as an athlete.

Speaker 1:

It's crazy. Since the last time you came on, name, image and likeness has become a thing. That wasn't something in 2019, when you were in school. That wasn't something that kids, during their undergrads, had the opportunity to monetize on their name, image and likeness. Guys like Reggie Bush actually lost out on opportunities because they took a thousand bucks and some cash in an envelope. The unfortunate part, there's two ends to this, the first being we're getting athletes paid, which is the priority. We had young athletes, ncaa athletes. We're getting taken advantage of. For years, decades, frankly, ncaa was taking advantage of it. The organizing bodies, the institutions they were all taking advantage of young athletes. That's not happening.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when I was in school, it wasn't a thing to grow your personal brand as an athlete to seek out the sponsorships, because that was against the code, that was against the rules. I have that background as being of our C athlete, played golf, played soccer, as they previously mentioned. Now I'm able to apply that and share that mentality and now my knowledge. As the co-founder of Rise, virtually a Marketing Agency where we work with all different individuals and clients in order to grow their online presence, I can combine my two worlds in order to help current athletes and future athletes monetize their online presence. Thank you, their name, image and likeness in Canada as well as the US.

Speaker 1:

Whether you're a high school athlete, whether you're a university athlete, you now have the ability to monetize on who you are as a human being and the work that you've put in in your athletic sport.

Speaker 2:

And it can seem daunting to be able to like to do it. It's thinking of creating and editing all this content and putting it out there, and that for some people it might feel like they're taking away from their sport or their training, that sort of thing. But you can make it a very seamless process, documenting simple things as such, as behind the scenes of your training. What does your workouts look like? What does your nutrition look like? What is your day to day? What is your bond like with your teammates? What are you wearing to game day? Like little things like that are what people are posting about and you want it to. You're building a relationship with your followers and with your community. They want to get to know the real you. So, starting just from the basics, you just need to share your life and your journey as an athlete in order to grow that audience naturally and organically.

Speaker 1:

We're not asking you to become social media influencers. Okay, you can still be your hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball play and self toss your camera on at the same time. Right, you can receive a package. Film it unboxing Super simple.

Speaker 1:

Now I say this I'm terrible for it. Phoenix can attest to this. I don't always like being in front of the camera. I run a podcast. I've been doing this for four years. There's pros and cons to the life that we chose. The fact of the matter is now, as an athlete, you need to also understand that you have a presence online and that matters. There are NCAA institutions that are recruiting based on how many followers you have on social media. That is a wild thing to wrap your head around. As an athlete, it maybe sucks. It's the fact of the matter, though it's a subjective sport, sometimes a subjective world. I should say, okay, you need to be aware of the fact that, hey, if you have other aspects to you that are exciting your personality, the fact that you like mayonnaise or any other subject I'm using Will from Will Leavis, the Tennessee Titans quarterback. He's got a Mayo deal now. Like mayonnaise.

Speaker 2:

Did you.

Speaker 2:

Just keep it simple, keep it authentic to who you are. Like we said, set up your camera and, just as you're training your phone on the ground wherever, get a little tripod stand. If you want to go the extra mile or create an aesthetic, if you want to go that extra mile, like what is your brand? What are you representing? What do you want your audience to see? Whether you're feeling like you're sharing with just your family and friends or people around the world, just share who you are. It doesn't have to go super personal, but share what your life is like as an athlete. And just start now. Just start doing it. There's not a better time than today and he's so impactful for your career.

Speaker 1:

You want to know the top five NIL valuations right now, according to ON3.com.

Speaker 2:

Go for it.

Speaker 1:

Coming in at number five. Do you have any guesses? If I was to give you the names of the five, would you rank them One to five? Okay, we have. Livy Dunn is one on the list. Mikey Williams, basketball player. Arch Manning, football player, also grandson and son of some other Manning brothers, brony James Did I say that? Brony James, arch Manning, mikey Williams, caleb Williams and Livy Dunn Can you rank where those five would be? Also, the fact there's only one female in there.

Speaker 2:

we're fixing that too with Cook Stark management Is one like one being the top, you mean For the most that they're making NIL, I'm gonna say Livy Dunn is probably number one. She's not number one, I'm gonna say she's number two. Then Really I'm shocked. I don't know. She's always all over social media.

Speaker 1:

She's number five, it's okay.

Speaker 2:

Wow.

Speaker 1:

I think this might be old, that's gotta be old.

Speaker 2:

I'm assuming it's James. Yeah, brony, james is number one.

Speaker 1:

Either way, the fact of the matter is there's a broad scope. There's a football player, there's a basketball player, there's a gymnast on there, there's a basketball player. You have options as an athlete. You are not handcuffed based on what sport you play. You simply need to take the opportunity that you have right now in front of you and action on it.

Speaker 2:

Nowadays it doesn't matter what kind of amenities that your sport receives sort of funding that it has. The content that you make can generate that income for yourself and that profit and create the experience that you want it to be. Just because maybe the school that you chose doesn't have state-of-the-art facilities, you can still make engaging content that grows your audience. That's gonna make that experience for you that much better and provide products or brand deals that are gonna help with your training and further your training. So, regardless of the school that you attend or the sport that you play that, you can still train at the top level and reach your career goals in that sport.

Speaker 1:

And it's also as easy as making sure that some of the products that you use are incorporated into your videos, like this week's episode sponsored by Athletes Apothecary some high-quality tea for athletes to make sure that you are hydrated, rejuvenated and energized. But we also just drink this stuff every night, so it's not hard right.

Speaker 2:

Work with brands that you like Like. Look into your closet, look into your everyday activities and see what are you wearing, what are you consuming and what are you interacting with, and go after those brands. Reach out to those brands or do content in those brands consistently, and if you develop enough of a following, then they'll be reaching out to you, hopefully. So work with brands that you authentically enjoy and consume and want to be a part of, because that's going to make your content go a lot further. Your audience is going to see it's an organic relationship and it's not being forced into something that you don't typically use or enjoy.

Speaker 1:

It's funny I was having this conversation with Lander because we're getting a ton of products sent to our Cookstar management, ldc, talent, gallus, lmnt being some of them.

Speaker 1:

Right, they're just deliverables and what they should be kind of expecting in return and what we should be providing to the brands that are sending this stuff. And, like he said, like I said earlier, you don't need to be a social media influencer. You got to post a hey, thanks, athletes, to Pathikary for sending us some tea it's been amazing and then maybe post you drinking it. You're like holy crap, that just provided hundreds of thousands of views potentially to that brand. In return, you showcase the fact to your community that you're a tea drinker, that you're health conscious, that maybe it's your nighttime routine that you do with your significant other. And now you might have other opportunities. You might have a blue light blocking glasses brand retoed to you because they see the fact that you're using blue light blocking glasses when you're drinking your tea at 9pm. And then you've got a magnesium company reaching out because they know the benefits of that for sleep.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and coming from not only from working and interacting with my clients, but also them working and interacting with athletes themselves please put a little bit of effort into the content. If they're reaching out, obviously it needs to be an equal deal, that you're receiving a fair trade for the product and the content that you're creating. But put a little bit of enthusiasm into it, not faking it. But if you're actually going to work with a brand, make sure you're enjoying it, show that you enjoy it, show that you care about it, show that it's important to you and it can be super simple and super easy to film. Just add a little bit of enthusiasm to it, because it's going to go a long way with them. It's going to make working with them a lot easier and they're going to want to repeat business with you, most likely in the future.

Speaker 1:

I think the other thing that's important to bring up again something that I should be doing more of, but highlighting the highs and the lows we're all human being at the end of the day, human beings. The fact of the matter is not every single day is sunshine and rainbows. I bring that up on the podcast with athletes to try and help the next generation understand that that might not be the case from professional sport and to get that association out of their head. But to take it a step further, it's just an extension of real life. Sometimes you need to be front facing on the camera and recording a podcast. On days that you're not as excited or that you're not as energetic or upbeat, it's okay to show that Sometimes you got to do that on the ice or on the field too, right.

Speaker 2:

As an athlete, you know when it's game time. It's game time. You got to be there, you got to be mentally present. Sometimes, creating content, that's what you have to do. You're not necessarily putting on a facade, but you're getting into game mode. Maybe you can get that, get into that mindset, putting on that game face, doing what needs to get done. If you're committed to growing your brand, then you're going to show up the same way you'd show up to practice, same way you show up to game. You're going to be there, you're going to be present and you're going to put in an effort.

Speaker 2:

That being said, social media is not easy. It is draining. There's reasons why people get anxiety around it or stressed about it. People comment on things, they send DMs or they don't like content that you're creating. But for the most part, I would try and separate the personal from the professional when it comes to that. If you reach a further point in your career and you're a professional athlete, they're not going to like the way you play sometimes. So thinking of things like that when you're interacting with social media is just making sure that you're keeping a forward head. You're in game mode and it's part of the business.

Speaker 1:

How would you start it if you were back in school right now? What would you be doing? I only say that because I think it's important for young athletes actually any athlete at any age. We have Ian Hill, who I'm friends with now, who's over 50 years old. He's trying to be the oldest man ever to play NCAA football. What should he be doing? What should the 20 year olds who's just jumping into school be doing to try and establish that brand on social media?

Speaker 2:

I would embrace the point of life that you're at. So, whatever point of your career you are, whatever age that you are, embrace that. Embrace the journey of where you've gotten to. So if you're a young athlete, say you're in high school, acknowledge that you're in high school, share the ups and downs of being a high school athlete, share the teams that you're playing on at the school or outside of it. I'm going to say it's going to be pretty similar content across the board for most of the athletes. It's sharing your training regime, sharing your nutrition, sharing the highs and lows of games and how you played, and maybe some tips and tricks that you want to share with your audience, maybe the jersey that you're wearing.

Speaker 2:

But, for instance, if you're a high school athlete and then you're a university athlete, well, sharing maybe the facility or sharing your teammates or what it's like to be a university athlete and adding academics on top of it, if you're a 50 year old athlete, it's like make that part of your brand. That's who you are. It's a challenge in itself. Well, otherwise you probably wouldn't be going after it in the way that you are. So acknowledge the place that you're at in your career or with your age and make that part of your brand and that will grow with you. So, obviously, if you're in high school, you're going to be showing, documenting the high school journey of an athlete, working with your studies, your team, your school after school activities. Then you're going to go on to university or college or professional. You're going to share that journey as well and your audience is going to grow with you too. So, whatever part of the journey you're at, embrace it, acknowledge it and share it.

Speaker 1:

One other point that I would add to that is just treating it like a job when you're in school. You might not realize it at that moment, but I promise you that there's a ton of extra time during your day-to-day activities, even if it's maybe winter time right now, for instance, and it's negative 20 or 30 here in Canada, whether you're on the West Coast, wherever you are, and you've got a little extra time on your hands because you can't spend as much time outside. Dedicate 30 minutes to social media, creating content that can be written on LinkedIn or on X, that could be visual, youtube, tiktok, instagram. You could be streaming on Twitch. There are hundreds of athletes making millions of dollars on Twitch right now.

Speaker 1:

That is something I also might consider doing, because I've gotten my video game fix in. I love to play Madden NHL. I've been playing some VR. We mix it up and you got to have some fun and I got to share more of that kind of stuff and I feel like I'm giving advice to people and I should be taking my advice as well. That's okay Often the way it goes.

Speaker 2:

We often just have to take your own advice sometimes. But, that being said, as athletes, we thrive on schedule. Create a schedule If that's what you need, to be consistent with it, because consistency is key on social media. The algorithm does not like inconsistency. If you're posting once here a different time here, a totally different date, it's not going to pick up your content and shoot it out to a large audience as if it would. If you're being consistent with it and I don't necessarily mean every single day, that would be ideal but just be consistent with it.

Speaker 2:

Create a schedule if that's what you need, to stay on top of it and just stick to it. Whether treat it like as if it's practice. So you're going to go to practice. Well, you have scheduled practices, so make sure you have scheduled time to create the content. Grow your brand, whatever that looks like. Or take your camera with you, take your phone whatever you're filming on and set it up. During those practices or during those games, get content. I'm sure there's other people documenting the games going on or the practices going on, and or you're at the gym, like we had previously mentioned. Any of those things can be considered content. So maybe, if you get it more organically. So if someone's filmed a game, well then schedule in time slots to edit that content or take chunks of it and post it. That's all it takes. As an athlete, we understand it's got to be a schedule. You got to be disciplined with it if you want it to grow and be successful.

Speaker 1:

I want to showcase a couple examples of people who might be ideal for listeners to go and check out, review, see what they're doing, the first being Mitchell Pelkey. I'm sure you're going to put a nice little photo image thumbnail. You're doing the frog, I'm doing the, whatever that one is. That one's a little kickstart for him, but he's obvious creator who's crushing it right now Ohio State lacrosse player Div1. Obviously, there's a ton that comes with attending a university and institution like that. Got to use what you got Emma Malte same thing. She was able to build her brand. I also think of someone like Mitchell Hooper who a couple of years ago, was competing in bodybuilding competitions down in Australia and is now a world's strongest man and has over 100,000 Instagram followers and has been able to basically, over the span of three, four years, build a following that he's going to have for the rest of his life because he's now marketed as the world's strongest man.

Speaker 2:

And as an athlete, it's a little bit easier to find your niche when it comes to that. For instance, he chooses in the gym comedy routines and he's in the gym, that's where he is, that's his sport. He's showing the humor behind the highs and lows of that training. And so as an athlete, you already have that niche. You have your sport, what you're doing, and so people are going to tune in because that's the content that they want to consume.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you bring up comedy in gym. I have to think of someone like Rebecca Fusiliere.

Speaker 2:

Hilarious. You have to go check out her stuff if you haven't. She's so funny, she's the best, so authentic.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and just if you are into gym, health fitness, crossfit, dog content, you will love what Rebecca is putting out there. It's amazing. I flew down to Dallas, texas, to be able to have her conversation. She's absolutely hilarious. I'm trying to think of some others who we've had on over the past four years who do a great job in the social Did I mean no, does a good job at creating content and hers is simply her traveling and competing, and it's incredible content yeah, and nutrition and all natural makeup brands, that sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

But that's encompassing what she believes in and what her foundation is as an individual and that shows through all of her content.

Speaker 1:

The other one, monica Clisara yeah, definitely. We filmed when we were in Toronto. Actually that was over a year and a half ago now, but she from the time of recording, within roughly three months she had signed her WWE NXT contract. No big deal, we're not going to say it was all because of the athlete's podcast, but it definitely didn't hurt the additional exposure she received there. Demi Talchius, who we met up with during the first AP tour up in Bowmanville Bowmanville Shout out to Bowmanville Chocolate Ice Caps. We had those there, trust me.

Speaker 2:

Just made with like chocolate milk. Yeah yeah, you can get those at Timmy's.

Speaker 1:

Okay, well, sorry it was. She asked for them, I brought them. You know, that's what I remember about Bowmanville, because you have to listen to every single one. No one out there has ever listened to my voice more than Phoenix. That might have to be the way we start this episode, and we have to give her a round of applause for dealing with Dave's voice on a daily basis, whether it's recording, listening, editing the athlete's podcast or doing I listened to it once when we're recording, listened to it a second time when I go through the initial cut, and then about 50,000 more times when I'm making the content.

Speaker 1:

And then when she's done her workday and I'm done mine, I'm like, hey, babe, let's talk about the podcast.

Speaker 2:

Boundaries. That's a good one.

Speaker 2:

So, we set boundaries, obviously, in our relationship, but it's also important to set boundaries with social media. Set boundaries with when you're creating, how much you're consuming it, whether you're just mindlessly scrolling and getting into that TikTok tunnel vision or you're on there to actively work and contribute to your brand. Just making sure that you're being aware of those boundaries that you're setting and how frequently you're interacting on social media, because that's huge on your mental health as well, and setting those boundaries will really help separate that personal from professional perspective.

Speaker 1:

I agree.

Speaker 1:

Let's transition here, because I think this is the 210th episode of the Athletes Podcast and one of the things that our emphasis at least for 2024, is building more community out and then also ensuring that we keep our fitness, health and wellness as a top priority and then impacting kind of having our community as a part of that.

Speaker 1:

So it's all intertwined at the end of the day, and I know we've been trying to brainstorm over the past couple weeks months really around how we can see that through to fruition and I think it would be interesting. I know there's stuff like 75 heart out there and there's different fitness challenges that people take part in and they maybe get on the wagon and they see some progress for a little bit of time, but it doesn't last and there isn't that consistency piece, and every athlete coach knows how important consistency is and they really know that it's the key to achieving long-term success. How can we maybe you and I brainstorm this during this podcast to build out something that people can see as a viable option to jump in on, or maybe we can create some type of community from this conversation?

Speaker 2:

I think what would be unique and fun with the theme of this episode would be to create some type of challenge, but a sustainable challenge. So it takes about two weeks to build a habit.

Speaker 1:

Obviously, we want to go a little bit longer.

Speaker 2:

Is it 21 days or two weeks?

Speaker 1:

I think it's 21 days. Is it two weeks?

Speaker 2:

Whatever. Anyways, we're in one place for once. We're in one place, which we haven't been in the past two years. So, with this challenge, I think what we should do and we're going to lead by example. So we are going to consistently create content on the daily, and that content will include our fitness and nutrition. So it's going to be creating engaging content with trending sounds, making healthy food recipes and going to the gym.

Speaker 2:

Like I said, obviously we're not going to the gym every single day, we're going every other week or sorry, we're going every other day because that's what works for us, that's a habit that we can sustain. So by creating content every day, I mean we can interchange the different types of content we're making. So one day we'll be making a recipe or a snack or something that we're doing with our coffee or our tea. The next day will be a snippet from our workout, and then maybe another one will be something with humor and our behind the scenes. So, starting that habit and hopefully we can build it to be a little bit more consistent with our daily routine.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I like it. You just threw that at me. I didn't even know. We didn't even talk about this. Where should we host people? Do you think we should use a Discord? Should we on Facebook, Instagram? What do people want we also. This is going live tomorrow so you can drop your comments. We're probably going to give it about a week, have some input, people's feedback, and then we're going to create this group, Probably on Facebook, I feel like, or Instagram.

Speaker 2:

We're going to start at February 1st. February 1st yeah so like the fresh start of a month.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, fit February, we'll call it. The importance of this is the fact that you can be a part of this, whether you are just starting your fitness journey, whether you are a fitness supermodel we welcome those or whether you are a bodybuilder or anyone in between. The fact of the matter is, this group is inclusive. This is a community that's going to push each other to new levels.

Speaker 2:

I think it'd be fun for anyone participating and that can be coaches, parents, athletes of all different ages and, I think, just being present, whether you're creating the content yourself or you're engaging with the content that we're creating and being part of this community. Whatever way that participation looks like for you, we want to join you into this challenge. We think it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm hoping it's going to build some habits that we're going to be able to sustain and keep going forward with our brand Because we're building our brand here too, on the athletes podcast as individuals.

Speaker 1:

On TikTok.

Speaker 2:

On TikTok. Follow at Fee and Dave.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, a little humble plug there, little FeeDave FeeDave 1.7 million views no big deal. We're kind of a big deal on TikTok couple channels. I think we might start trending what should be our hashtag for this challenge. I don't really love the word challenge, I hope I just want to make sure that's out there. So a challenge is something that you pursue, overcome onto the next right. This is life Like. We're all high performers, athletes that want to continue to progressively overload our bodies so that we can consistently get better, be stronger, get faster, move better, be more flexible. So the priority of this episode has been talking about some small, manageable habits how to work out, create content during your varsity opportunities at the collegiate level, pro level.

Speaker 2:

Really at any stage of life that you're in.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, social media is there to stay. It's not like it's going anywhere. So you have an opportunity to take advantage and build a platform that you own, whether that's Instagram, tiktok, an email list, a newsletter there are so many options out there. Right now. You could start a podcast. I highly encourage you to start a podcast. Actually, let me know, reach out. I'm happy to help, can put you in touch with a really good producer. Editor.

Speaker 2:

Let me get those.

Speaker 1:

So let's go with hashtag APFeb, apfab, apf-e-b, and every single day. The goal is either to post a video of you working out, a video of you eating something healthy, nutritious, drinking something healthy and nutritious like athletes of Poth-Kerry-T, or maybe strategizing, planning, creating that content, even if it's just simply going for a walk and posting about that, or APF Anything towards building your personal brand.

Speaker 1:

And in turn, we will ensure that we share that on the athletes podcast platform, whether you're on Twitter, tiktok, instagram. We're gonna make sure that we are all over that and in turn, we're gonna have merchandise by the end of February. So every single person who participates will receive some type of AP merchandise. I'm gonna say that One AP merchandise piece, some shape or form. I'm not gonna say what it is yet, I can't say, but we're gonna make sure people are decked out in AP merchandise moving forward, especially those who take part in APFEB and who listen to the athletes podcast on a consistent basis.

Speaker 1:

I feel like I haven't been able to let you folks know who are listening how much we appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Every single person who hits that like button, who hits that subscribe button, literally makes the biggest difference in our lives. Just as a reminder, there are a million ways to build your social media platform, and some of the subjects suggestions that we provided today are what we've seen to see success in the past. By no means are they going to guarantee success in the future, but what I can say is that I sincerely appreciate you folks for tuning into this episode every single one that you do moving forward. I know you might be watching this on your phone, on your computer, wherever you're consuming it, listening on the background. Simply hitting that subscribe button takes a second out of your day, but it does mean the world to me and I just wanna reiterate that I really appreciate everyone who's supporting us now because in five, 10 years down the road, as we continue to bring on incredible individuals like Phoenix, we will continue to provide you folks with not only knowledge, entertainment, education, but also some incredible merchandise.

Speaker 2:

That being said, if there is anything that we didn't mention as far as growing your brand on social media, any tips or tricks that have worked for you and you wanna share with the audience, please comment on this video, share with us on social media, send us a DM. We will read each and every one of those and we can then share that knowledge with the audience as well. So if you have any tips or tricks, comment down below.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and we read the YouTube comments and I reply to them and some of them are pretty damn funny. I also appreciate it when I get chirped every once in a while. I haven't been in the hockey dressing room in a bit, so people lighten me up about the new haircut. Sometimes I mispronounce words. It's okay, I got thick skin. Drop it down below. Let me know where we have improvements here in 2024. That's what AP Fab is all about and that's what we're all about as a couple. That's why we're continuing to see success. See that success Nearly two and a half three years in the books. Thank you for coming on the Athletes Podcast Phoenix.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate your insights, your wisdom, your marketing expertise. I'm very excited to see the results from this episode because I think people listening are gonna put them into action. We're gonna have a crazy February. If you wanna start brainstorming ideas with us, drop us a comment, shoot us a note. We're gonna add you to the group. We're probably gonna have a couple hundred people here over the next couple of weeks. Jump in and every single person, like I said, it's gonna get some piece of merchandise. We're gonna hook you up. We're gonna make sure that everyone who takes part is well, well well compensated.

Speaker 1:

That's the word I was looking for.

Speaker 2:

I'm excited because it's not only gonna hold our audience accountable, but it's gonna hold us accountable, because we need to be leading by example, and so I'm excited. It'll be a bit of a kick in the butt that I think we need during the winter months, to be on top of things.

Speaker 1:

We took some before and after pictures yesterday and those will probably be in whatever group we put. Oh, maybe not. She doesn't like the idea of that. Hey, sometimes you gotta showcase where you're at. Sometimes it's not the best in the world. By no means am I at the best physical state that I've ever been, but I'm definitely not at the worst.

Speaker 1:

And we're starting, and we're working and we're excited to have you folks along for the ride. Ken, thank you enough for tuning in to this episode, the 210th. Let us know how we did down below who we can bring on to make sure that we provide you the most value on the athletes podcast. Again, thanks for tuning in. Hope you have a great rest of your day. We'll see you next week.

Speaker 2:

Bye, we'll go through the rest tomorrow.

Athletes on Branding and Online Growth
Monetizing Athletes' Online Presence
Grow Your Brand on Social Media
Community and Boundaries in Fitness+